One World Trade Center

Amid cheers and whistles from workers, the final piece of the spire of One World Trade Center is hoisted into place in May 2013. More than 10 years after NYC’s skyline was changed forever, the new building -- now the tallest in the United States -- rises 1,776 feet into the air, a testament to the Big Apple’s resilience in the years following the day that would come to mark the single-largest loss of civilian life on US soil. 9601280

Amid cheers and whistles from workers, the final piece of the spire of One World Trade Center is hoisted into place in May 2013. More than 10 years after NYC’s skyline was changed forever, the new building -- now the tallest in the United States -- rises 1,776 feet into the air, a testament to the Big Apple’s resilience in the years following the day that would come to mark the single-largest loss of civilian life on US soil.

REUTERS/Gary He

One World Trade Center

One World Trade Center

In years past, visitors from around the world came to pay their respects and see the progress being made on 1 World Trade Center.9601280

In years past, visitors from around the world came to pay their respects and see the progress being made on 1 World Trade Center.

Travel Channel

9/11 Memorial Plaza

9/11 Memorial Plaza

People walk through the 9/11 Memorial Plaza at One World Trade Center, site of the original World Trade Center Towers. Nearly 400 trees fill the plaza, inviting visitors to reflect on the events that occurred here. Meanwhile, One World Trade Center is set to open for business in 2014, with companies including Conde Nast and Vantone Holdings soon to have offices here.9601280

People walk through the 9/11 Memorial Plaza at One World Trade Center, site of the original World Trade Center Towers. Nearly 400 trees fill the plaza, inviting visitors to reflect on the events that occurred here. Meanwhile, One World Trade Center is set to open for business in 2014, with companies including Conde Nast and Vantone Holdings soon to have offices here.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

9/11 Memorial Plaza

9/11 Memorial Plaza

New York police, firefighters and Port Authority officers at one of the entrances of the 9/11 Memorial Plaza during the 10th anniversary ceremony. In all, 343 firefighters (including FDNY fire chaplain Mychal Judge), 23 NYPD officers and 37 Port Authority police officers lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks. Roughly 2,000 first responders were also injured that day.9601280

New York police, firefighters and Port Authority officers at one of the entrances of the 9/11 Memorial Plaza during the 10th anniversary ceremony. In all, 343 firefighters (including FDNY fire chaplain Mychal Judge), 23 NYPD officers and 37 Port Authority police officers lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks. Roughly 2,000 first responders were also injured that day.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

9/11 Memorial Museum

9/11 Memorial Museum

Two steel "tridents," which once held up the Twin Towers’ walls, stand in the entry of the pavilion area of the future 9/11 Memorial Museum. The museum, located 7 stories below the Memorial Plaza, is set to open in spring 2014, with 110,000 square feet of exhibition space dedicated to recounting the events of 9/11 through multimedia displays and voice recordings, like that of flight attendant CeeCee Lyles.9601280

Two steel "tridents," which once held up the Twin Towers’ walls, stand in the entry of the pavilion area of the future 9/11 Memorial Museum. The museum, located 7 stories below the Memorial Plaza, is set to open in spring 2014, with 110,000 square feet of exhibition space dedicated to recounting the events of 9/11 through multimedia displays and voice recordings, like that of flight attendant CeeCee Lyles.

REUTERS/Mike Segar

WTC Site, Lower Manhattan

WTC Site, Lower Manhattan

In past years on Sept. 11, 2 columns of lights marked the place where NYC's Twin Towers once stood.9601280

In past years on Sept. 11, 2 columns of lights marked the place where NYC's Twin Towers once stood.

Reuters

9/11 Memorial

9/11 Memorial

The 9/11 Memorial in NYC honors the nearly 3,000 people who died in the Twin Towers and on the ground, near Shanksville, PA, and at the Pentagon, along with those who died in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993.9601280

The 9/11 Memorial in NYC honors the nearly 3,000 people who died in the Twin Towers and on the ground, near Shanksville, PA, and at the Pentagon, along with those who died in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993.

Joe Woolhead

North Memorial Pool

North Memorial Pool

US flags honor the memory of 25-year-old Bryan Bennett, whose name is etched into the rim of the north pool of the 9/11 Memorial. Bennett was one of the 2,606 who died in the World Trade Center attacks; he worked for eSpeed, a company that occupied the North Tower (1 World Trade Center).9601280

US flags honor the memory of 25-year-old Bryan Bennett, whose name is etched into the rim of the north pool of the 9/11 Memorial. Bennett was one of the 2,606 who died in the World Trade Center attacks; he worked for eSpeed, a company that occupied the North Tower (1 World Trade Center).

Jefferson Siegel-Pool/Getty Images

Flight 93 Memorial

Flight 93 Memorial

After nearly 10 years of planning and fundraising, the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, PA, was officially dedicated on Sept. 10, 2011. The first phase of the memorial saw completion with the Wall of Names. The names of all 40 passengers and crew who perished on the flight are etched into the white marble.9601280

After nearly 10 years of planning and fundraising, the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, PA, was officially dedicated on Sept. 10, 2011. The first phase of the memorial saw completion with the Wall of Names. The names of all 40 passengers and crew who perished on the flight are etched into the white marble.

Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Flight 93 Memorial

Flight 93 Memorial

The Flight 93 memorial near Shanksville, PA, honors the 40 people who died on the hijacked flight trying to save others. The memorial was dedicated on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, with fundraising efforts led in large part by Flight 93 families.9601280

The Flight 93 memorial near Shanksville, PA, honors the 40 people who died on the hijacked flight trying to save others. The memorial was dedicated on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, with fundraising efforts led in large part by Flight 93 families.

Paul Murdoch

Pentagon at Night

Pentagon at Night

Dedicated in 2008, the Pentagon Memorial honors those 184 men and women who died on American Airlines Flight 77 and in the Pentagon itself. Each of the benches displays the name of a victim. They are organized from youngest to oldest, from 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg to 71-year-old John Yamnicky Sr.9601280

Dedicated in 2008, the Pentagon Memorial honors those 184 men and women who died on American Airlines Flight 77 and in the Pentagon itself. Each of the benches displays the name of a victim. They are organized from youngest to oldest, from 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg to 71-year-old John Yamnicky Sr.

Michael Myers, flickr

Pentagon Memorial

Pentagon Memorial

Young visitors pay their respects at the 9/11 memorial outside the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Maple trees are planted on the grounds of the memorial, which is open 7 days a week, year-round.9601280

Young visitors pay their respects at the 9/11 memorial outside the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Maple trees are planted on the grounds of the memorial, which is open 7 days a week, year-round.

Reuters

Pentagon Memorial

Pentagon Memorial

Each year DC-area residents pay tribute to the victims of the attack on the Pentagon. Here, members of the military stand in unison, holding state flags. In 2013, President Obama will travel to the Pentagon Memorial to attend the Sept. 11th Observance Ceremony.9601280

Each year DC-area residents pay tribute to the victims of the attack on the Pentagon. Here, members of the military stand in unison, holding state flags. In 2013, President Obama will travel to the Pentagon Memorial to attend the Sept. 11th Observance Ceremony.

Reuters

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This towering statue in Charlottesville, VA, commemorates the 1803-1806 journey of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Dedicated in 1919, the statue also pays homage to Shoshone Indian Sacagawea, who acted as interpreter and guide to the explorers, traveling thousands of miles alongside them from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean.

Native American Powwow

Silhouette of an Oglala Lakota member during a 3-day powwow on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. A gathering of North America’s Native people, powwows began hundreds of years ago, showcasing drumming, dancing and storytelling.9601280

Silhouette of an Oglala Lakota member during a 3-day powwow on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. A gathering of North America’s Native people, powwows began hundreds of years ago, showcasing drumming, dancing and storytelling.

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Trail of Tears

Trail of Tears

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In 1830, the Indian Removal Act forced thousands of Native Americans from their homes in the Southeast. The route, later known as the Trail of Tears, led to the deaths of roughly 4,000 Cherokee people from exposure, disease and starvation. Today, about 2,200 miles of the route are preserved, marking the journey through portions of 9 states.

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Totem Poles

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Carved from trees, towering structures like this were the handiwork of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast. Very early European explorers thought totem poles were objects of worship, but later explorers noted they seemed only to illustrate stories. Here’s a view of the Kwakwaka'wakw pole at Thunderbird Park in Victoria, British Columbia.

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Crazy Horse Memorial

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More than 135 years after his death, Crazy Horse ranks as one of the most notable Native American tribal leaders. Tucked in South Dakota’s Black Hills, the memorial to the famous Lakota warrior is more than 60 years in the making. Current projections call for the memorial's completion by 2020.

Thinkstock

Pueblo Bonito

Pueblo Bonito

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Chaco Culture National Historical Park is home to the densest and most remarkable concentration of pueblos in the Southwest. Within the park, Pueblo Bonito is the largest. The ancestral Pueblo people constructed the structure between 850 A.D. and 1150 A.D. This “Great House” was the center of the Chacoan world.

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Mesa Verde National Park

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Ken Lund, flickr

Cahokia Mounds

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Rich Torres, Wikimedia Commons

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